49ers QB Josh Johnson: ‘I was able to make a strong case to be on this team’

Johnson was 14-of-17 for 135 yards with three touchdown passes and a tipped interception in the 49ers’ 40-13 win over the host Texans.

It was an excellent boost for his roster bid. But so was his 2012 exhibition finale, after which he lost out on the No. 3 job to Scott Tolzien.

“It was really tough, to be quite honest,” Johnson said in reflecting on his 2012 release. “It was a lot of different emotions. I looked at myself, ‘What happened?’ A lot went into it. There were things I felt I could have done and didn’t do.

“I made the determination to do everything I can on my behalf. As long as I can walk with my head high and not live with any regrets, that’s the best I can do for myself, and I feel I’ve done that. I hope coaches keep taking notice of that.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh certainly has. He wants the 49ers to keep both Johnson and Blaine Gabbert as Colin Kaepernick’s backups. The 49ers finished last season with only Kaepernick and Colt McCoy at quarterback, along with McLeod Bethel-Thompson on the practice squad.

“I’ve been convinced of that for a while, that he warrants a roster spot,” Harbaugh said.

Johnson’s performance looked even better when compared to that of Thursday’s starter, Gabbert (4-of-11, 60 yards, one touchdown).

“Josh had a great night,” Harbaugh said. “The one bad throw on the hitch route left it inside and it got tipped perfectly into the chest of the defender. There was one other time he didn’t bring a motion in far enough. But other than that, he had one heck of a game.”

Although Johnson had a third-quarter pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown (by Andre Hall), that blame can at least partly go to wideout L’Damian Washington, who whiffed on the ball.

Johnson found Kyle Nelson for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown completions. But it was his first snap that defined Johnson’s mindset, to make the most out of each snap, and he did that with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Ellington 34 seconds before halftime.

Johnson’s favorite pass was his 49-yard bomb to Lance Lewis that opened the 49ers’ final touchdown drive.

Told he had as many touchdown passes as interceptions, Johnson responded: “Hell yeah. It’s a credit to my teammates. A lot were fighting for jobs tonight. To have fun and execute at a high level, it’s fun.”

And what does he think of his chances at a regular-season job?

Said Johnson: “I don’t put the roster together. I don’t determine the depth chart. All I determine is my performance and I felt like I was able to make a strong case to be on this team.”

He did that in the 2012 exhibition finale, too. He wasn’t thinking about that before today’s game, however.

“Didn’t think about anything,” Johnson said. “I’ve been cut twice and had so many different things go on in my career, and my whole life. Coming from Oakland, there’s always been adversity. All you do is overcome it.”